Payne, Ernest Alexander (1902-1980)

Ernest Alexander Payne, born 16 February 1902, died 14 January 1980, was a faithful British Baptist and a dedicated ecumenist, an outstanding administrator and a learned scholar, a "private" person and a public figure. He served the British Baptist Union with distinction as pastor, teacher, and writer before becoming its general secretary and president. In the ecumenical field he held high office in the Free Churches, the British Council of Churches, and the World Council of Churches where he was elected president. In recognition of his ecumenical work the Queen was pleased to make him a Companion of Honour.

A man of broad sympathies and wise judgment, he demonstrated his indebtedness to his Baptist and Anabaptist forebears and his dedication to the church's ongoing task. In the controversy over Baptist origins, his writings supported the view that argued for significant Mennonite and Anabaptist influence on Baptists. With Kierkegaard he could say that although "life can only be understood backwards, it must be lived forwards."